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Verizon is marketing a new wireless 4G LTE router as a means of extending wireless connectivity into your home. It’s also a thinly-veiled enormous cash grab, and a convenient way for the company to wriggle out of the flimsy net neutrality requirements it’s simultaneously contesting in court. That’s quite a bit of functionality to pack into a single device, so let’s break it down.

The Verizon 4G LTE Broadband Router with Voice is $49.99 with a two-year contract, $199 flat-fee device from Verizon that connects your home directly to the cellular network. It’s the opposite of a microcell range extender. A microcell tower is a miniaturized cell phone tower that you drop inside your home to boost immediate cell phone coverage. The tower then uses your own internet service to backhaul the connection back to your cell provider. This Verizon router requires a strong cellular signal to start with, but provides a local wireless service to all the other devices in the home. Speeds, according to Verizon, are 2-5Mbps upload, 5-12Mbps download.

So, you pay Verizon $49.99 for the device, then $30 for the “Home Service Monthly Line Access On Share Everything Plans.” The basic plan is 500MB of data for $40. The basic options for just the router — no phone, no tablets, no nothing — looks like this:

Your WiFi-connected computer can surf the internet for just $140 per GB per month, (equivalent — the actual 1GB a month plan is just $50 per GB) and you can take it anywhere. Amazing value! Incredible efficiency! Of course, that’s the worst plan Verizon offers. If you pay them $130 a month, you can actually download a whopping 10GB per month for just $130 — assuming, of course, that you don’t own a smartphone. If you and your significant other both own smartphones, you’re now paying Verizon $170 a month to access 10GB of data. Comcast will sell you 3Mbps for $19.99 with a two-year contract or $39.95 without one. That’s objectively terrible — except compared to what Verizon is trying to sell, it’s manna from heaven.

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KWottrich

Did you really mean that service in rural NY can reach 20 MBps (megaBYTES per second)? As in, 160 Mbit/s? If so, I’m shocked, because even in downtown St Paul, MN, the fastest service available to me is 50 Mbit.

hirschmead321

like Lois said I’m amazed that people able to make $8542 in four weeks on the internet. blog here w­w­w.J­A­M­20.c­o­m

Joel Hruska

No, typo on that. Fixed it now. I have seen 2.3 – 2.4MBps here, but typical is 1.7 – 1.8.

Jeremy Garcia

Why anyone uses Verizon is beyond me.

Snipes

I use FIOS. The only choices I have for home service are FIOS and Comcast. I am currently getting 75Mbps (I actually see about 80Mbps) internet service and like 220 cable channels from them for around $100 per month without a contract. The only problem I have with it is that Netflix service sucks sometimes. I really feel like Verizon FIOS and Verizon Wireless are two completely different companies.

Art Faucett

Got Google Fiber here. Ran a speed test while streaming a game over twitch with a web cam. 800 down 800 up

Snipes

Well that’s great and all, but I am just not sue how it is relevant to subject at hand.

Jeremy Garcia

He gets more than 10x your bandwidth and still pays less than you – it’s more relevant to your comment. Even Verizons FIOS isn’t that good of a deal.

Snipes

I understand that, but I do not have the option of using Google fiber as I am not one of the 0.5% of us residents who has access to it. The question posed was “Why anyone uses Verizon” my answer was that I only have the option of using Comcast or Verizon and of the two of them Verizon is superior. Saying my tiny little ISP that you don’t have access to is better then any ISP you can get service from, does not contribute to the “why use Verizon” discussion.

Omar Shishani

I moved here to Nice France almost four years ago. I pay 100 euro each month for Internet, Phone, TV and 2 cell phone with 30 hours a month talk time for each mobile phone + 600 sms for each phone. My download speed is 29 mb and 1 mb upload. The good thing is no gap for downloading. Therefore, I enjoy downloading 10s of movies every month. To tell you the truth I wouldn’t want to return to US and pay arm & hammer for the pirates.

Omar Shishani

I forgot to add one more thing. Both my wife’s and mobile phone get free internet all arounf France. This is a dream in the US.

HeavyLoads

You’re a fool if you think it’s free. Whether it’s via hidden fees in your services or (I’d imagine more likely the case in France) it’s your tax dollars subsidizing it. You’re correct that it’s a dream in the US, but it’s also a dream in France. Nothing is free, unless you’re talking about the French ISP “Free”, which isn’t really free either, it’s just called “Free”.

BR

Y U MAD? you like paying retarded prices? also do you live there? no. so stfu

Art Faucett

He’s right, you’re wrong. He pays through the teeth on taxes, so technically, it’s a :”deal”, until that cowardly socialist, pos “country” takes everything else. I’m still laughing about the violent Muslim’s they welcomed in with open arms. The balance is due, and France will be not be France in 30 years. It will have a flag with a sword in it.

BR

cowardly…socialist? Have you ever driven on a highway paved by tax dollars? Have you ever gotten money back from taxes? Have you ever used your SOCIAL security number or ANY federal service? YAAAY, ITS SOCIALISM! Please don’t make me school your uneducated ass anymore. You’re also clearly a closed minded fuck to think France is “cowardly.” Have you even been there? Probably not, Art, which by the way, the French excel at. Who offered to send troops into Syria BEFORE us? oh…France. Not saying it was right, but they put the offer on the table before we did. PS, we have LOTS of Muslims here. Now that I’ve tracked your IP address, I’ll be sure to send them to your door to drop off some textbooks on the topic of Socialism and humility. Now shove that twinkie back into your mouth and shut the fuck up.

http://www.korioi.net/ Korios

“Now that I’ve tracked your IP address…”

Drop the BS..

Joel Hruska

Texting on US mobile phones is objectively free. It’s carried in the same portion of spectrum used for device handshaking. No bandwidth used for other purposes is used.

Omar Shishani

Fool is you who didn’t read my previous reply. I never said it’s free. I said there’s no gap for downloading in France like it’s in the US. When you have contracted mobile such as mine which is 20 euro each month with 30 hours talk, 600 sms and free internet. So stfu and check your map and see if you can point France on the map. I am sure you think France is located south of the boarder.

HeavyLoads

“Both my wife’s and mobile phone get free internet all arounf France.” You’re right, you never said you get free internet /s. I do get what you’re saying now, however. It was difficult to decipher given your typical French pomposity and poor grammar.

Omar Shishani

Sur. I forgot to add my mobile. However, this is not the place for show off. English is my 5th language. I am sure you arrogant idiot lacks self respect plus you lack education in HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY & MATH. Go get a life Déchets de remorque américain.

Joel Hruska

Alrighty folks, enough with the insults please. From BOTH of you.

Amanda

I have a question….Does any one know, if I was to purchase the verizon router for HOME phone only, could I still use my Comcast service without Verizon picking up that I’m using the services and Verizon billing me for it? I.want to.use verizon for home phone only. However I have a Comcast modem& netgear router that currently powers my game system laptops and wifi on my cells. 1st off can I connect the Verizon router to my comcadt modem? Secondly, if i can plug verixon router & my netgear router into the comcast modem – Would the Verizon router interfere with me using Comcast services for my laptop, wifi on cell ect? Or would the verizon router incur charges from me using my cell? Im trying to use the comcast service with Netgear router for all my services (laptop, gaming & wifi on cells) and only use the Verizon for home phone. So would the Verizon router pick up the other services I’m using (cell, laptop ect) & then Verizon charge me for using the laptop / cell on their services when I’m actually trying to use them threw the comcast service?

Joel Hruska

The Verizon modem described in this story is only compatible with Verizon’s own wireless. It’s not a wireline modem. This modem throws a WiFi signal over your home, but backhauls that signal over a cellular connection.

If you installed this router in your home it would provide WiFi to other wireless devices but would only function if you have a Verizon wireless plan. Verizon data rates would apply. You cannot tie this modem to a Comcast cable modem or use it in concert with that device.

Amanda

Ok, Thanks, My mom is sending me a router from Verizon that is sopost to work off Verizon & be charged to her account, but I am not sure if it is just a router to go off my Comcast internet or to stand alone for phone only off Verizon. I thank you for trying to help. I guess I will just try it when I get it tomorrow & figure it out as I go. :-) Thanks for replying!

Joel Hruska

IF she’s sending you one of these routers, your Internet service will be charged to her account, but these plans are extremely expensive compared to conventional Comcast.

Sambath

Do you even know the size difference between France and the US? You’re comparing apples to oranges.

Naipier

Great article Joel Hruska, I look forward to seeing more from you.

SirGCal

I wish I could use FIOS or Google Fiber, but I’m stuck on TWC.. Ugg…
Still for cellular, I switched to Sprint a long time ago. When the wife
was in the hospital, I burned some 400G watching videos on my phone.
Even called Sprint to double-check and they laughed and said ‘You are on
an unlimited plan. Stream away!’. Why anyone would use Verizon or any
of the tiered carriers boggles my mind. Especially for
home/desktop/laptop use.

Nunyur_Biznezz

Obviously if one has access to cable or DSL one should be using that and shouldn’t be using mobile data as a main internet connection. It’s not even close to being designed for that. If one lives out in the boonies one’s options are expensive low capped satellite, dial-up or one could use Verizon’s HomeFusion service where for $120 you get 30 GB.

Joel Hruska

Nunyur,

This service only works with 4G LTE. Trust me, 4G LTE isn’t out in the boonies yet. I’m still stuck on 2G service and I’m only 10 miles from a town.

2). The expensive, slow satellite services like Hughes net offer twice the bandwidth for half the price. Objectively, this is terrible.

JoeS4

Here’s the problem. Verizon provides the best cellular service. They are also expanding their 4G coverage at a pretty rapid rate. But the prices they charge per GB are obscene, and what they charge if you go over that allowance is even more obscene. The only thing that will bring the price down is competition, and right now in many places there is none. Satellite is inferior in many ways, and costs just as much.

It is price gouging without a doubt. However they will argue that they have to charge that much in order to finance the expansion of coverage.

MannyJ

This new device offered by Verizon (mfg’d. by Novatel) actually has three wired ports. You can have up to ten connected wireless devices and three wired Ethernet devices. My question is: what prevents you from using one of the wired Ethernet ports to connect to a hub or switch with multiple devices connected to the switch and how that would effect throughput to all of those devices? Anyone experiment with this yet?

Joel Hruska

On 10GB of bandwidth a month, I’d strongly discourage anyone from hooking multiple devices to this.

However, there’s no reason a hub or switch wouldn’t work.

Ray C

This mobile data accounts are too expensive. The carriers are bogus, then if you get it on your phone wi-fi tethering is either disabled or inconsistent.

Art Faucett

Explain why this is a “good deal” again?

PurpleSaves

Solavei offers $49 for unlimited talk text and 4g of 4g.. on tmobile towers. Plus they pay you $20 per month per 3 people you refer as long as they continue to pay their bill you continue to receive the money so if you refer 3 people that’s like your paying $29 for this plan refer 6 that makes it $9! Keep referring and make more! No activation fee No Contact! PurpleSaves.com 405-513-TALK

RealtorDC

You make some poor assumptions and assertations.. I already have verizon cell service and use my galaxy s3 like this router with the hotspot. I have a house I vacation at in an area where it is this or wildblue satellite, its ppl like me who it is good for. It costs me about $5 per GB on Share Everything, not $140 per GB where did you pull that figure from??? You can’t include the line charge and taxes as your per GB rate. I am considering this as it should pull a stronger 4g than my phone and I don’t have to always be plugging unplugging my phone I can just set and forget this router for $20 per month and might save me from having to spend $500 to get a reliable 4g signal with a Wilson lte booster and antennas. I also hate Verizon’s greed but your post is ridiculous.

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